Bars where Pete has had a Drink (3,476 bars; 1,545 bars in Seattle) - Click titles below for Lists:

Bars where Pete has had a drink

Sunday, July 27, 2014

The Pourhouse and the building in Aberdeen, Washington that has housed it, have had some remarkable history. It was constructed in 1897, it is believed to be the oldest wood structure in Aberdeen, it is the only public location that Nirvana played in their home town, and at this writing it appears to be going through a wild legal brewhaha with some, well, let's just call them "colorful" characters.

The Pourhouse, Aberdeen, WA

A 2012 Daily World article says of the building: "It is 115 years old, according to country records, and survived “Black Friday,” the citywide Aberdeen fire of 1903 that ignited two blocks south of The Pourhouse but stopped at Wishkah Street. It was believed to have been a house before that time, and later was a beauty salon during Prohibition. When Prohibition ended in 1933, it operated briefly as a restaurant before becoming a “beer parlor” named the Golden West Tavern, the name it kept until the mid-1960s."

Happier days at The Pourhouese, Aberdeen, WA

At the time of this article the Pourhouse had been closed for three years and was being very nicely remodeled by new owner Tyler Tollefson, preserving the long back bar and adding some nice reclaimed wood to the walls. "There’s actually another floor under the one that’s there now, and the old logger pegged boots are all over," Tollefson noted in the article. He also explained that the music in the re-opened bar would be "mostly classic rock, blues, country and jazz."

The place was named "The Pourhouse" in 1980, and has long been a center of live, original music in the small lumber town. It is claimed that Nirvana performed there three times, with the best documented show on Dec 21, 1988, with Kurt Cobain and Kris Novoselic playing Beatles cover songs there after a show in nearby Hoquiam. Novoselic and possibly Cobain also played there with the Melvin's Buzz Osbourne in September 1986 as the "Stiff Woodies."

The current soap opera over the bar began a few months after Tollefson leased the place to Jacob Cuzdey starting Jan 31, 2014. From an article in The Daily World and the bar's Facebook page maintained by Cuzdey, this is my best attempt to piece it together: Cuzdey's core business practices apparently did not encompass paying his taxes and eventually would unhappily lead to not being able to pay his lease, employees or liquor license. These facts came to the attention of the bar owners when he informed them that the city had directed him to start paying off the four separate tax liens on the business before worrying about their rent. The owners apparently were not pleased, and sued to get control of the business back. This was accompanied by much melodrama, e.g. "Two women allegedly punched Cuzdey and others in front of witnesses just after midnight on April 26 in a dispute over the bar" and "Cuzdey claims police stood by on April 28 as the couple and others allegedly took items from the bar that Cuzdey says belong to him." (DailyWorld)

Weapon instructions from the manager of the
Pourhouse, Aberdeen, WA (Facebook)

These events appear to have inspired Cuzdey and two of his friends to stage a "peaceful protest" in front of the bar, with semi-automatic weapons slung over their chests, one in head-to-toe camouflage fatigues, and signs featuring a diatribe about the police chief, mayor, and FREEDOM. The Facebook page featuring photos of the protesters clarifies that this is a "Condition 3" (magazine inserted, no round in chamber, bolt/slide forward, weapon on safe, hammer down) and "AC Yellow" ("relaxed alert") exercise in Freedom protecting. A number of Facebook commenters noted that this was not exactly helpful in convincing people you're a rational person, but Cuzdey countered that he can't "hide in the shadows" while he is being "raped" by the Aberdeen government. It would appear that the building owners wrested control of the sandwich boards shortly after that, as the following day the signs read "Saving the Pourhouse" and "We (heart) Our Mayor."

One does hope that just enough sanity is eventually restored that this bar can be preserved and reopened. In addition to the history, it's a nice little joint in the shadow of the Wishkah River Bridge.

Saturday, July 26, 2014

This building was constructed in 1898 and there have been bars in it for over 100 years. City guides for this old timber and fishing town, once know as "the port of missing men" and the "hellhole of the Pacific," show a saloon in this locaiton by 1911 owned by Wiest and McCracken, and up to the edge of state-wide prohibition with one owned by Samuel Ross in 1915. Shortly after prohibition, by at least 1935, it became the Joe & Jack Beer Parlor, and then Joe's Tavern by 1939.

I don't know how long it has been the Captain's Corner (or Captain's Corner II, Captain's Corner III, or Captain's Corner Hi, as I've found in various listings) -- Manta says 1995. It is a medium large neighborhood joint that covers all the basic small community bar standards: pull tabs, flat screen televisions showing sports, karaoke, pool, darts, etc.

Charlie's Chowder House is a funky little corner spot in Astoria where you can drop in for some ice cream, clam chowder or a drink or two. It has a small tiki bar attached, although it is not the sort of bar that tiki fans like, and rather more resembles decor you might see at a high school prom, with things like African masks and a Jimmy Buffet album passing for "tiki." It doesn't have great cocktails (I am informed to go around the block to Albatross for that), but the folks there are nice, and it's a perfectly fine joint for a brief lunch or snack.

I always stop for a "Spar," a "Logger," or a "Pastime," including this place, listed as in Astoria but well south of the city on Old Highway 30. The food here is typical diner fare and the bar is typical dive drinking options (although the bar is too light, neat, and new to feel like a dive bar). A few tourists stop to eat, but it's mostly older locals. Our stop was pretty much what you would expect for a roadside joint, with the exception of a cook (not sure if she was the owner or had just been there long enough to feel like she was) being unnecessarily bitchy to the bartender.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

The Conestoga Restaurant and Bar is located "in downtown Clatskanie, across from Humps at the main stoplight." The iconic wheels were removed for safety, and now the red and white forms of the Conestoga wagon float mysteriously about the restaurant door. Inside is a diner, with a classic neighborhood dive in back. It's been cleaned up recently by some new owners, who improved the food, and will tell you about various types of businesses previously in the space, including, as it so often is in these small towns, the city mortuary.

Stepping into the Quay Bar in Vancouver Washington's riverside Red Lion can feel a bit like stepping on board the Flying Dutchman. The feeling strikes you initially as you take in the considerable work done to make it appear that you are in an 18th century sailing ship. Slightly less ancient are the pop cover songs coming from the bands there on weekend evenings, as the 50-ish crowd hits the dance floor to early 80s rock. But the sense of doom does not come only from the dance floor -- the building itself is slated to be demolished as efforts move forward to build a new, much wider bridge here where I-5 crosses the Columbia River to Portland. And perhaps partially due to that impending fate, you can sometimes find your party sitting forlorn at a table and starting to wonder if there really were any servers in the place, or if those were just ghosts, now slunk back to their watery graves, the promise of foodstuff now just a haunting memory.

Quay Restaurant and Bar, Red Lion Vancouver, WA

As if to further make you doubt your senses, the Red Lion web site doesn't reveal a hint of the abundant ship decor in any photos or descriptions of the restaurant. Here's their description of the bar:

"Adjacent to the restaurant and overlooking the Columbia River, the bar has a pool table, and offers live entertainment Friday and Saturday evenings."

That's right. A pool table!

Quay Restaurant and Bar, Red Lion Vancouver, WA

The people are fairly nice, and the hotel, restaurant and bar are all adequate, but they feel like a golden opportunity lost. You should go to the Quay Restaurant to check out the sailing ship decor and the fine view of the Columbia River. If the buffet is open, you should definitely choose that option -- not because there is anything particularly great about the buffet, but because it's a bit dicey whether a server will happen by any time soon (a lesson learned on our first visit and reinforced on our second). If you like any music written after 1981, you might want to skip the band. Enjoy the location and trouble not your mind over what could have been.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

A large, old west themed bar, with serving girls that dance on the bar to country music. They serve diner style steaks and standards, and decorate the knotty pine walls with beer corporation paraphernalia.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

No, I wasn't so drunk that I can't even remember the name, they really did name this place "Some Random Bar." It's the first bar from Mike Maione, who decided to put his biology degree aside and move back to Seattle from Florida with his wife Jean Wallace and start a bar and restaurant in Seattle. The bar is in the former space of the short-lived C.S. Finnegan's, and seems a bit like a bar in the middle of some small town, that tries to bring a little bit of everything. They have Seahawks and soccer games -- and moved to the televisions so that you can watch from the bar with a neck injury -- and some interesting cocktails and food choices. There's are eight beer taps with a "no crap on tap" policy and menu items like twice-cooked oxtails, lamb tongue salad, and chicken fried quail.

It's hard to tell if this place is going to catch on and make it, but the owners are very nice and it's a kind of place you root for.

Sunday, July 06, 2014

In 2005 new owners converted this historic dive to a cleaned up bar and grill with more contemporary pub food and cocktails. They refer to it as a "gastropub" which should be understood to mean nothing particularly fancy, but a large menu of restaurant quality food, definitely a cut above typical dive bar fare, with better than average burgers, sandwiches, wraps, and seafood options, along with fairly standard beers and cocktails. These are served by a friendly staff working in front of a nice, antique Brunswick-Balke-Collender back bar, and the place is said to be packed on weekend evenings.

The Bohemian, and former Rainier Wine House, in the current
location of the Rainier Bar and Grill, Enumclaw, WA

Historical notes: The Facebook page claims that the location hosted the Rainier Wine House as far back as 1904, the Bohemian Bar shortly after that, and a Rainier Beer wholesale distribution site founded in 1913 -- and features a photograph of a wooden building featuring the "Rainier Wine House" and "Bohemian" signs. The current brick structure was built during state-wide prohibition in 1917. Wally Duchateau writes in the Enumclaw Courier Herald that it was a "a speakeasy in the 1920s, a card room in the 1930s and 40s and a favorite watering hole for loggers in the 1950s." However, in the Sigrid city directory for 1934, available in the Enumclaw Plateau Historical Museum a few blocks away, the location is already listed as the "Rainier Bar." Thus it is likely that the location returned to a licensed tavern very soon after the Federal Beer and Wine Revenue Act took effect in April 1933. Duchateau's description continues, "During the 1960s, it appealed to Enumclaw’s fledgling hippies and in the ‘70s it was home base for a few would-be punks and Cobain followers. In other words, it had always been a small-town alcove for fellows and gals who were, more or less, sort of rebellious, unorthodox, and a bit out of step with the local culture in general."

Bacon Cheeseburger, Rainier Bar and Grill, Enumclaw, WA

It's a nice place to grab a beer or a meal, and it is pleasing to see them keeping the history alive with old photographs and other touches. But I do confess that I suspect I personally would have prefered the previous incarnation(s), given my fondness for dive bars and for scenes "a bit out of step with the local culture in general."

Brunswick-Balke-Collender antique bar at the Rainier Bar and
Grill in Enumclaw, WA

Close-up with added contrast of the Brunswick label on the
back bar at the Rainier Bar and Grill, Enumclaw, WA

The Naches Tavern is said to have been built in 1919 and appears to have begun under that name during prohibition. A photo below is dated June 1926, and features what may be the current building, though substantially remodeled. The tavern is in the unincorporated community of Greenwater, which has a population of a little over 200, although you would never guess that many from the few mossy residences you can see from the road. It is pretty much the perfect mountain tavern, its log-cabin based structure entreating you from the wood, into the woody interior with a large stone fireplace and various relics donated by locals collected on the walls. It sits along state route 410 and welcomes locals, snow boarders from Crystal Mountain, bikers, hikers and various roadtrippers. The food is pretty standard bar fare, and the drinks are dive bar standards. It is said that the entire town gathers there on Christmas for a communal party.

Friday, July 04, 2014

Lest you be concerned about the hustle and bustle of downtown Naches, rest assured that the "Wood Shed Restaurant and Lounge at Eagle Rock Resort" is a good 10 miles upriver the actual town. And the "resort" is two small cabins and 5 RV hookups. This bar and restaurant, joined to a grocery store along Highway 410, is pretty much what you look for in a roadside joint, serving a range of comfort food, dive bar basic drinks, and hosting a small gathering of bikers, tourists and locals (two of the latter were describing coming upon a rattlesnake in their shop the previous morning). I had a gin and tonic and a leisurely chat with bartender Mark, who hails from West Seattle.

"The city of Union Gap was originally named Yakima and was officially incorporated on November 23, 1883. When bypassed by the Northern Pacific Railroad in December 1884, over 100 buildings were moved with rollers and horse teams to the nearby site of the depot. The new city was dubbed North Yakima. In 1918 North Yakima was changed to simply Yakima, and the original town to the south was named Union Gap." (Wikipedia)

The Old Town Pump does have an old pump in it, but everything else is newish, except for the customers and staff. However it does appear to date back to about 1960, and it looks like it has been very substantially remodeled after the old tavern was shut down in 2010. It has an old timey, wood exterior but is more like a cafe inside, serving up pretty standard drinks and pub food.

Thursday, July 03, 2014

Baker City Oregon sits alongside I-84 in northeast Oregon and features one of the better preserved historic portions of a town in the area. Within the 42 acre historic district there are about 60 to 70 structures that date back between the 1880s and 1915, and inside one of them is the bar and diner called the Main Event. Said to have been an old smoke shop back in the 1890s, it is a long space, with an old bar down one side, serving a classic diner menu and dive bar style drinks in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.

Wednesday, July 02, 2014

Something like a frat house basement, Silly Birch has 14 microbrews, video games, jello shots, and lots of twenty-ish guys in backwards baseball caps. It is relaxed and open during the day, and a slightly less packed version of the popular 6th and Main bars on Friday and Saturday evenings.